Who will be the Saints’ next offensive coordinator? Here’s a list of likely candidates.

Who will be the Saints’ next offensive coordinator? Here’s a list of likely candidates.

The Saints now need to decide which way to take their offence

after letting go coach Pete Carmichael and two other assistants on Tuesday.

Will they continue with the plan that former coach Sean Payton put in place almost twenty years ago?

Or are they willing to make radical changes?

There are many deserving candidates for each position. The following is a tentative list of names that may be available:

Ronald Curry, Saints quarterbacks coach

Should the Saints decide to promote from within, Curry would make sense.

The quarterbacks the coach has worked with hold him in high regard, and for a while now,

he has been considered as a possible coordinator.

He had an interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year for

the open offensive coordinator post; Dave Canales was hired in the end.

Curry’s promotion would enable Carr to maintain group familiarity while building on the progress

he made in his rookie season with the offence.

Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden

It is well known that the Saints are intrigued. According to sources who spoke with Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune,

Gruden had dinner with New Orleans brass on a late-season trip to Tampa,

Florida, and the Saints have expressed interest in appointing the troubled coach to an offensive position.

After racist, sexist, and homophobic emails he made while working as

an ESPN announcer were revealed to the media,

the former Raiders coach resigned in the fall of 2021.

Despite this, he has since visited the team’s training camp in New Orleans as an unpaid spectator.

Gruden runs an offense with largely similar concepts to the Saints — perhaps just as importantly,

has worked with quarterback Derek Carr before.

Carr had arguably his best season as a pro under Gruden, when he threw for 4,103 yards,

27 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a career-high 101.4 passer rating in 2020.

Prior to his Jaguars tenure, Gruden coached the Washington football team for five-plus seasons.

He was fired after five games in 2019, but his offenses excelled at passing.

He sported an above-average passing offense in his first four years.

Klint Kubiak, 49ers passing-game coordinator If the Saints want to shake things up entirely,

Kubiak could be an interesting choice. Working with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco,

Kubiak comes from a scheme that’s in vogue around the league right now.

Shanahan’s teams are known for their creative rushing attacks that rely on outside zone concepts and motion,

while incorporating a good mix of play action.

Former Washington coach Jay Gruden

Jon’s brother, Jay Gruden, was a contender to take Carmichael’s place as the starting offensive coordinator in New Orleans in 2022.

Would the Saints agree to take that route once more?

After serving as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator for just one season,

at the end of the 2020 campaign, Jay Gruden left the league.

Gruden coached the Washington football team for more than five seasons before joining the Jaguars.

In 2019, he was dismissed after five games, yet his passing offences were very effective.

In his first four years, he had an above-average passing offence.

Klint Kubiak

49ers passing-game coordinator If the Saints want to shake things up entirely,

Kubiak could be an interesting choice.

Working with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco,

Kubiak comes from a scheme that’s in vogue around the league right now.

Shanahan’s teams are known for their creative rushing attacks that rely on outside zone concepts and motion,

while incorporating a good mix of play action.

Kubiak also has previous experience as an offensive coordinator:

He held the role for one season (2021) in Minnesota.

Greg Olson

Seahawks quarterbacks coach Olson has experience working

with both Carr and Saints coach Dennis Allen when both with were the Raiders last decade.

Olson has also served as an offensive coordinator in plenty of spots (Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Jacksonville and Las Vegas).

The 60-year-old could also be in need of work as the Seahawks mutually parted ways

with coach Pete Carroll last week. Shane Waldron, Seahawks offensive coordinator

After three seasons as Seattle’s offensive coordinator, Waldron could be in demand this offseason.

The Chicago Bears requested to interview Waldron after firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

In Seattle, Waldron is credited for helping resurrect quarterback Geno Smith’s career. Before Seattle,

Waldron spent time under Sean McVay as a passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams.

Mike McCarthy

Cowboys coach This one is speculative, given that the Cowboys haven’t fired McCarthy

yet after Dallas’ horrific wild-card loss Sunday to the Green Bay Packers. But if Dallas does move on,

McCarthy rejoining the Saints could be a coup for the franchise.

Knock McCarthy’s playoff history all you want,

but he had a top-five offense in Dallas while calling plays this past season.

He also has overseen successful offenses in Green Bay (as coach),

San Francisco (as offensive coordinator) and New Orleans (as offensive coordinator).

There’s also no guarantee McCarthy would be willing to entertain a coordinator job at this point of his career.

After all, he posted three consecutive 12-5 seasons in Dallas.

That might be good enough to land him another head coaching job, even with the shaky playoff resume.

Eric Bieniemy,

Commanders offensive coordinator If the Saints want a coach who will get after players,

then Bieniemy could be a good fit. Bieniemy has earned a reputation for harping on details,

so much so that it can be a tough adjustment for players,

former Commanders coach Ron Rivera caused a stir last summer when

he told reporters members of his team questioned Bieniemy’s approach.

There’s also no guarantee McCarthy would be willing to entertain a coordinator job at this point of his career.

After all, he posted three consecutive 12-5 seasons in Dallas.

That might be good enough to land him another head coaching job, even with the shaky playoff resume.

But beyond his demanding coaching style, Bieniemy is seen as an innovative offensive mind.

He helped the Kansas City Chiefs win two Super Bowls before

he went to Washington to serve as the Commanders’ primary play-caller — a role he didn’t hold in Kansas City.

Bieniemy’s stint in Washington didn’t boost his head coaching chances as he might have hoped ,

Washington ranked 24th in total yards — but he’s still an intriguing option for coordinator.

Arthur Smith

Former Falcons coach This sure would be a twist, huh? Despite Smith berating Allen for his team’s decision to go for a controversial end-of-game touchdown in the final game of the year,

the former Falcons coach could make sense if the Saints are looking to overhaul their rushing attack.

Smith is known for being a creative play designer and was a successful coordinator under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee before taking the Falcons job.

Atlanta ultimately didn’t have success under Smith — who went 7-10 in each of his three seasons with the Falcons — but some people might just be better off as a coordinator. Perhaps that’s Smith.

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